- May 7, 2024
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Kaiden Smith, left, leaps into the pool with his buddy Braily Guterrez at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club open house on June 25. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler Schools Chief of Operational Services Dave Freeman and Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore serve up hot dogs at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club Open House on June 25. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Joshua Walker, the school district's coordinator of community services who organized the two-day open house, with his daughters Charlotte and Adeline at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Guests and members cool off in the pool at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club open house on June 25. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler County School Board member Will Furry enjoys a hot dog at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club open house on June 25. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Braily Guterrez jumps into the pool at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club open house on June 25. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler Schools Chief of Operational Services Dave Freeman and Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore serve guestsat the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club open house cookout on June 25. Photo by Brent Woronoff
A group of women enjoy the hose spraying into the pool at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club open house on June 25. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Kyla Goncalves and dad Carlos grab a hot dog at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club open house on June 25. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club lifeguards Zach Wolpert and Michael Alvarez serve guests at the open house cookout on June 25. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler Schools Chief of Operational Services Dave Freeman and Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore serve up hot dogs at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club Open House on June 25. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Carlos Almeida with sons Adrian, 7, and Julian, 13. The Almeidas are members of the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club. "I don't have a pool at my house, so I pay for the year," Carlos said. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Kaiden Smith and Braily Guterrez take a dip at the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club open house on June 25, 2023. File photo by Brent Woronoff
An open house at the Belle Terre Swim & Racquet Club on June 24-25 produced about 20 new members. But the main purpose of the weekend event was to reacquaint the community with the 11-acre facility tucked into a residential area at 73 Patricia Drive in Palm Coast.
“The biggest thing for this event was raising awareness,” said Joshua Walker, Flagler Schools’ coordinator of community services. “A lot of people are new to the area and found out about the club through our advertising for this event.”
The open house, which included a cookout on both days, was a success, Walker and club site manager Robin Jensen said.
Walker, who oversees the facility for the school district, estimated that 300 to 400 people visited the club over the weekend.
A lot of people are new to the area and found out about the club through our advertising for this event." — JOSHUA WALKER, Flagler Schools coordinator of community services
The new members are a combination of paid memberships and some who signed up through their health insurance plans, Walker said. The health insurance companies reimburse the club.
Club membership includes use of the 25-meter pool, the strength and cardio gym, a sauna, a wading pool and tennis and pickleball courts. All of the facilities were open during the weekend, but most of the guests cooled off in the pool and enjoyed free hot dogs, chips and watermelon on the pool deck.
“It took a total team effort to put this together,” Walker said of the open house.
Flagler Schools Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore and Chief of Operational Services Dave Freeman helped serve hot dogs and watermelon to the guests.
Carlos Almeida and his sons, Julian and Adrian, are members who frequently use the pool.
“I don’t have a pool at my house, so I pay for the year,” Carlos Almeida said.
The open house began a marketing campaign by the school district to try to drive up membership.
Last month, the School Board voted 3-2 to maintain the club's current membership model for at least another year to see if the facility can reduce a deficit the district estimated to be as high as $177,803 this year, partly because of the district's minimum wage increase to $15 that includes lifeguards and other staffers.
The alternative would be keeping the pool open as a student-focused facility until a proposed YMCA in Flagler County is built.
The School Board is expected to approve a membership rate hike at its July 25 meeting. For more information about the club, visit flaglerschools.com/about-us/community/btsrc.
